Far From The Madding Crowd

119 min.

It’s the end of the nineteenth century (1870) and a woman keeps being proposed to, that’s how you could summarize this story. I know that might make things sound a bit slapstick, but Far From The Madding Crowd is more of a gentle hug than a tickle attack.

Main character Bathsheba comes again with the drastic notion of women being persons/characters, trying to carve out her own path in a strict patriarchal society, succeeding and failing pretty evenly. It’s Carey Mulligan’s stealthy little smiles and rolling eyes (this is the film, not the book) that make you root for he.

What happens in the story (besides those proposals)? Bathsheba inherits a farm. Suddenly that makes her a point of interest for (rich) bachelors. Add little side plots about personnel and farm life and you have a neat little camp fire of a movie. It may not last you through the night, but for the moment it’s warm and appreciated.